How do crypto scam texts and WhatsApp messages work?

A crypto scam text is a message designed to start a conversation that ends with you sending cryptocurrency to a criminal. The first message rarely mentions crypto at all. It looks like a wrong number, an old friend or a job offer, and the crypto pitch only arrives once the scammer has your trust.

How does a wrong number text crypto scam work?

The FTC describes a simple pattern. A stranger texts something harmless. If you reply, they apologize for the mistake and keep chatting, sometimes with a romantic tone. After a while they mention how much money they make in crypto and offer to teach you. The "platform" they send you to is fake, and the balance you see growing is just numbers on a screen.

Even a short reply tells the sender your number is active, which can bring more scam messages. The FTC reported that people lost $470 million to scams that started by text in 2024, and it named wrong number messages among the top text scams.

How do crypto scams on WhatsApp and Telegram groups work?

Meta says scams often begin with a text or dating app, then hop to private messaging and finally to a payment or crypto platform, so no single company sees the whole scheme. In the first half of 2025, WhatsApp banned over 6.8 million accounts linked to scam centers, mostly in Southeast Asia.

One campaign Meta disrupted sent a text with a WhatsApp link, moved victims to Telegram, paid small fake earnings for liking videos, then asked for a crypto deposit to keep going. Group chats work the same way. Strangers add you to an "investment club," other members (often fake) post screenshots of profits, and an "advisor" tells you which app to use. The FBI's 2025 report says investment club scams spread through social media and messaging apps.

How do you spot a crypto scam message?

Watch for these signs, drawn from FTC and FBI guidance:

• A stranger who texts you first and slowly steers the chat toward money.
• Promises of guaranteed profits or a "special" trading platform you have never heard of.
• Requests to move to another app, or being added to a group you did not join.
• Pressure to deposit more before you can withdraw, or fees to unlock your balance.
• Any demand for payment in crypto. The FTC says only scammers demand that.

These are the same building blocks as pig butchering scams, and our guide to common crypto scams covers other versions.

What should you do if you get one?

Do not reply or click links. Use your phone's report junk option or forward the text to 7726, then delete it. If you already sent money, report it to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov and to the exchange you used, and follow the steps in what to do if you are scammed. Be ready for follow-up offers to get your money back, which are usually crypto recovery scams.